Courtesy Photo | Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Steven Littlefield, 1st Battalion 101st Field Artillery...... read more read more
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ – Instead of turning wrenches to make things go, a few mechanics found out where things go boom during Annual Training.
Several members of the Forward Support Company - G Co. 186 Brigade Support Battalion – were amazed by the stream of incoming artillery rounds when they took time to visit one of the observation posts, known as “the hill,” Sunday afternoon.
“It’s pretty cool,” Spec. Toni-Marie Miglione said Sunday, as 105 mm high explosive artillery rounds safely impacted more than 1,000 meters away during one of the many adjust fire missions.
Miglione, who is a wheeled vehicle mechanic, said she had never had the chance to visit the hill or seen anything like it - even though she fixes numerous vehicles for the 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment, which has units in Massachusetts and Vermont. G Co., which is assigned to support the 1-101 FAR, is based in Quincy, Mass.
The magnitude of the effects were not lost on the forward observers – who are trained and tasked to call in the rounds to assist maneuver forces or other friendly assets.
The teams of observers have enjoyed calling in a stream of missions during a five-day live-fire exercise, which supported members of A and B batteries - respectively headquartered in Fall River, Mass. and Waterbury, Vt. – which are located several kilometers away, according to Pfc. Trevor Ross, of Headquarters & Headquarters Battery of the 1-101 FAR – located in Brockton, Mass.
“We’ve all handled multiple missions so we’ve had different volleys going on at once,” Ross said, adding they’ve fired both missions calling for high explosive and smoke rounds.
Until they set up a second observation point earlier Sunday, Ross said they were using radios to simultaneously calling in two separate missions from two separate firing batteries.
“A lot of (the missions) are hitting steel-on-steel,” Ross said, referring to the small burst of light which occurs when a round impacts a metal object – such as one of the many targets in the impact area.
“They’ve been doing complicated missions,” Ross said, adding the observers keep the guns firing by identifying targets and having the next mission “within 30 seconds” or so following the end of the previous one.
Capt. Ben Mailhot, a battalion fire support officer with, said he offered an open invitation to all G Co. Soldiers to come up to the hill – when time allows - during the live-fire.
“A lot of them cycled through and fortunately, got to see it (the impact area) when we were busy,” Mailhot said, adding Ross walked one Soldier through the call-for-fire process, which resulted in rounds being fired into the impact area.
G Co. Commander Capt. Dean Barbara appreciated the offer and said he’d try to get as many of his Soldiers up to the hill – and cross trained with other artillery sections - as possible.
The live-fire exercise is the capstone activity to ensure members of A and B Batteries are qualified and confident to operate the upgraded M119A3s, which is a light towed system. Later this week, their counterparts in C Battery – located in Danvers, Mass. – will commence firing on the new M777A2 medium towed howitzers, a 155 mm towed weapon system.
Meanwhile fellow Soldiers from HHB were training on the new Q-50 Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar, which is used to protect friendly forces and civilians from a variety of indirect fires, and other members G Co. trained on resupplying, repairing and supporting the new systems in the battalion.
The 1-101 FAR provides fire support for the 86th (Mountain) Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a multi-state National Guard unit which is based in Vermont.
| Date Taken: | 07.24.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.25.2016 08:40 |
| Story ID: | 204914 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Hometown: | BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Hometown: | QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Hometown: | WATERVILLE, VERMONT, US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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